White Paper for Grassland Opportunities – new version

We are proud to present the final version of our “White Paper for Grassland Opportunities”.

Policy makers, take note! Our demonstration results show the importance of a supportive business environment that encourages innovative, grass-based businesses. The four business cases have the potential to enable better rural development policy and rural job creation. The White Paper shows that the readiness level of some of these initiatives is above TRL 7 and that significant market breakthrough requires adequate funding, rules and regulations that do not hinder opportunities, and mechanisms that valorize additional benefits such as carbon sequestration. Policy makers can stimulate the valorization of grassland and promote new opportunities for farmers and rural businesses by securing the functions of grassland as a sustainable source of raw materials, as a space for social, organizational and entrepreneurial innovation, and as an important contributor to carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation.

Curious to see what you’ll find inside? Have a peek at some of the recommendations that await you inside:

Measures at national & regional level:

• support conversion of arable land to grassland;
• facilitate the utuilisation of surplus grass from non-agricultural areas;
• valorise ecosystem services;
• contributions to carbon sequestration related to grassland;
• ensure access to regional and national funding for technologies that use grass as a resource and its side streams;
• support R&D to bridge the gap between innovation readiness and market entry

Support measures:

• raising awareness of the benfits and ecosystem services of grassland through education and outreach to consumers